College Bookstores in Florida and Ireland No Longer Selling Books

Two reports to share in this post.

1. Florida

Lynn University: Missing from campus bookstore: books” (via Sun-Sentinel)

Lynn University has removed some merchandise from its campus bookstore — books.
Almost every book needed for the 300 classes offered at the liberal arts university in Boca Raton are available by digital download. So officials decided a traditional book store was no longer needed.
It’s now been renamed the “Campus Store” and has aisles of iPad cases, shirts, coffee mugs and water bottles where textbooks once sat.
[Clip]
Other South Florida colleges say ebooks continue to gain in popularity, although at a slower pace than Lynn.
“Digital still represents a relatively small percentage of total course material sales,” said Wendy Smith, manager of the University of Miami Bookstore. “However, we continue to see growth in digital interest and sales each term.”

Also of Note:

…Lynn officials say textbook costs have dropped 94 percent, with the average student paying only $29. That’s because many professors have developed their own electronic books that students receive for free.

Read the Complete Article

2. Ireland

University College Cork’s Bookshop Set to Close as Study Goes Digital (via Irish Examiner)

Staff at University College Cork have been told John Smith’s bookshop, which has operated from the basement of the campus’ student centre since 2003, will stop retailing books from Friday, November 21.
[Clip]
The physical bookshop is to be replaced by a dedicated online service to be set up by John Smith’s, and the store will be replaced by a showroom area where students and staff will be able to browse books with a view to buying them from the new website or from an order kiosk within the showroom. Customers will have the option of home delivery or for their books to be sent to a collection point on campus.

Read the Complete Article

Filed under: News, Reports